Bishop blasts dumbed-down christening services

CHRISTENING services that no longer require parents to “reject the devil” and “repent sins” were accused yesterday of being dumbed down.

Michael Nazir-Ali (L) has criticised the new wording that the Archbishop Justin Welby (R) supports [GETTY]

The new wording for baptisms, which is backed by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, is intended to make the ceremony easier to understand “in culturally appropriate and accessible language”.

But the former Bishop of Rochester Michael Nazir-Ali accused the Church of “striking at the heart” of the Christian faith.

Traditionally ministers ask: “Do you reject the devil and all rebellion against God?”. This prompts the reply: “I reject them.”

They then ask: “Do you repent of the sins that separate us from God and neighbour?” The answer is: “I repent of them.”

But no mention of the devil or sin is made in the new version, which is being used in 1,000 churches, in which parents and godparents are instead asked to “reject evil and all its many forms, and all its empty promises”.

The new wording of christening services omits any reference to the devil or to sin [GETTY]

Dr Nazir-Ali said the new service was a symptom of “constant dumbing down of Christian teaching”. He said: “Instead of explaining what baptism means and what the various parts of the service signify, its solution is to do away with key elements of the service altogether.

“Rather than the constant dumbing down of Christian teaching, whether for baptism, marriage or death, we should be preparing people for these great rites of passage.

“It is best to call a halt to this perhaps well-meant effort before it further reduces the fullness of the Church’s faith to easily swallowed soundbites.”

The Bishop of Willesden Pete Broadbent said it had not yet been approved by the General Synod, adding: “It’s only out for ‘experiment’. Or killing off.”

A Church of England spokesman said the new version, requested in 2011 by some clergy from the Diocese of Liverpool, was an alternative.

Bishops agreed “additional materials should be sent to over 400 parishes for a trial which lasts until the end of April. The texts have no formal status without approval by General Synod”.